How Child Care Impacts an Employee's Budget

Below are two living expense calculators that are searchable by zip code, city, or state. Each showcases child care costs, other typical expenses, and the wage level that would allow employees to support their family’s needs.

• The Economic Policy Institute Family Budget calculator allows you to see the average cost of basic necessities – including food, housing, child care and transportation – for families with one or two adults and up to four children.
• The Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT’s) Living Wage Calculator also breaks down costs for necessary expenses and then determines an hourly wage and annual salary necessary to meet those expenses.